Writing Music for Commercials

Have you ever wondered who makes the music for the ads or shows that you see on TV and hear on the radio? Are you curious about how this music is made, how it’s sold, who buys it and why? If you want to look under the hood at the world of commercial music, both from a process standpoint as well as a business standpoint, this course is for you. Writing Music for Commercials explores effective composition techniques for scoring to picture, writing a melody using provided lyrics, and creating a memorable hook for a jingle.

The course examines the organizational features and personnel roles of production music publishers, ad agencies, and music houses; as well as covering the fees, royalties, residuals, and other revenue opportunities in this potentially lucrative industry. Drawing on years of personal experience, course author Peter Bell provides detailed instruction and case studies of successful business and ad agency jingles, creating stock music track packages, partnering with music libraries, and composing a theme and scoring for a television series.

You'll learn from the author's successes and from his past mistakes as you build your own skills in composing and producing commercial music and in finding, communicating with, and negotiating with clients. Writing Music for Commercials features in-depth interviews with industry players, including agency creative director Terry MacDonald and music library owner/operator and ASCAP board of directors member Doug Wood, as well as successful jingle composers, singers, voiceover artists, and sound designers.

Work in the course will involve planning and creating finished music productions to detailed specifications to meet a deadline. You will get hands-on experience writing jingles by creating an original 30-second jingle in a specific genre, using specific voiceover copy and vocal lyrics, and then re-arranging it in at least one alternative style. You will also create an original 90-second instrumental theme and arrange elements of the composition to be used for stings, transitions, and cues. Each of these assignments will help you build your own promotional reel that you can use to pitch prospective clients.

By the end of the course, you will be able to:

• understand the structure of the commercial music marketplace and the roles of its participants
• create original jingles, library track packages, and television themes according to industry standards
• apply effective composition techniques for scoring to picture
• write and produce a jingle spot using provided voiceover copy and vocal lyrics
• create a memorable hook for a jingle
• understand revenue flow in the industry, in addition to fees, royalties, and residuals
• begin building your own promotional reel
• apply effective strategies for pitching your work to prospective clients

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